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Orthorexia: When Clean, Healthy Eating Gets Extreme

10/27/2016

 
Orthorexia: (n); (1) an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy, (2) a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in belief that they are harmful.
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An article published by Sammy Caiola of the Sacramento Bee introduced a new topic being discussed amongst nutritionists and therapists known as orthorexia.

"It's a phenomenon in our culture," Lisa Petersen, clinical director of the Eating Recovery Center of Sacramento, CA stated. "It's troubling, but not surprising, that we see this subset growing rapidly. We see these permutations of healthy lifestyle, and what you hear will affect what you glom onto."


Orthorexia typically starts with a resolution to eat healthy and avoid fatty, processed foods that cause obesity, high blood pressure, and other common health problems. "For some, however, those good intentions spiral into an obsession with food so intense that it weighs on a person's work and social life and leads to severe weight loss," Caiola states.
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As ultra-restrictive diets such as paleo and raw food grow more popular, nutritionists believe orthorexia will become more commonplace.

Pop culture encourages obsessive thoughts of healthful food with social media accounts like Instagram encouraging young people to 'tweet-what-you-eat.'

"Now all of sudden you can get online and you can see how strict you are compared to other people," Thomas Dunn, associate professor of psychology, said. "There's a sense of superiority. You've removed dairy from your diet and eggs? Well, I can do better than that."

Typical behaviors of orthorexia include:
  • Spending more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthful food
  • Continually limiting the number of foods acceptable to eat
  • Suffering social isolation because of a limited diet
  • Feeling guilt or self-loathing when a strict regimen isn't followed
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Here a few ways to prevent this from overtaking our kids:
  • Advocate a lifestyle that doesn't involve restriction or labeling
  • Encourage moderation and balance
  • Seek a compromise. Even if you're somewhere where there's seemingly "nothing to eat," you can still find a way to take care of yourself and your kids  - which could mean grabbing a fast-food salad
  • Try not to demonize foods as "good" or "bad"
  • Consult a nutritionist to sort through conflicting health advice you receive
  • Allow for growth, change, and fluctuation
  • If necessary, see a therapist who can help with the emotional components of potential eating disorders, such as poor self-esteem or a need to feel in control
To learn more about orthorexia, check out these resources:

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/orthorexia-eating-clean-eating-disorder

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/health/orthorexia/

https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/orthorexia-excessive-exercise/understand-orthorexia

And remember, there's a healthy way to be healthy!
- Alaina



Don't Be The LAwn-Mower Parent!

10/19/2016

 
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There is a new buzz word going around regarding parenting styles, it's called the lawn-mower parent. The parent who comes in and mows away all obstacles and makes everything nice, clean, and easy for their child. We are here to say put away the lawnmowers!! ​

Not only does allowing children to navigate their own obstacles teach them important resiliency skills but it also helps them to become kinder and less entitled children. 

"Behavioral research shows that humans can become acclimated to almost anything if they’re exposed to it frequently. It’s called “hedonic adaptation,” and it’s why Justin Bieber is always buying more outrageous cars, why the kitchen we just remodeled suddenly needs a new backsplash and why lottery winners, after the initial thrill of winning, end up about as happy as they were before." Read on to learn more about cultivating kindness and resiliency in your children! 

Amy Carney wrote an awesome article about 8 things to stop doing for your children. Take a gander and see if you can't challenge yourself to step away from some of these "lawn-mower" tendencies! 

Amy challenges "What is your parenting goal? Is it to raise competent and capable adults? If so, then let's work on backing off in areas where our teens can stand on their own two feet. I know they're our babies and it feels good to hover over them once in awhile, but in all seriousness, it's up to use to raise them to be capable people!" 

Stay Health, Chaps!
-Kristi 


School, School & More School - it's too much!

10/13/2016

 
We had a Student Workshop this week covering Test Preparation and Test Anxiety.  We have so many students that request extra time on tests.  Students think they are prepared but they are not.  Or they know the information but cannot recall it at test time.   This usually causes lots of angst and the go to response is, "I need more time."  Tests should be predictable and students should know what to expect.  Tests should not be emotional.  They should not cause anxiety.  But we seem to see this issue a lot.  We don't always do a good job of teaching students how to study or the best ways to study.  Most students feel pressure to perform which causes the emotion or anxiety, they over thinking it and end up not recalling information they know.  

We have lots of tips on our Study Skill & Tips page.  Look it over!  Have  your child look it over.  It is amazing the difference it can make when students learn how to take notes and study from them.  

Here are some additional tips!  And "Just 11 Really Helpful Study Tips From A Memory Expert!"

The Good Reads!  page also has handouts from our Speaker Series.  There are videos from presenters there as well.  At first, you may have to work with your student to get organized and learn these skills, but before you know it, they will be able to do it on their own!

This is a great blog post, or "rant" as the author described it, on "
Not every child is an A grade student. Why we must not let B/C/D be shameful."  What caught my attention was the following - "They should be getting As and they are not. NO THEY SHOULD NOT BE GETTING As.  We cannot all be good at everything. It’s ridiculous. It invalidates the whole point of an A."  

At the Challenge Success conference, they talked a lot about PDF - 
Play time 
Down time
Family time
Our families, but most importantly, our students do not have enough of this!  Let's all try to have more PDF in our lives! 


Here's to a weekend full of PDF!
-Katie

To Raise Kids With Empathy, We NEeD To Do Everything Wrong!

10/5/2016

 
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"Empathy, the ability to put oneself in other people’s shoes, is the cornerstone for becoming a happy, well-adjusted, successful adult. It makes our children more likable, more employable, more resilient, better leaders, more conscience-driven, and increases their life spans."

The Times wrote an excellent article about fostering empathy in our children - be sure to check it out here! 

"Unless we free up time for relationships, 
we may be raising a generation of kids who can’t see past their smartphones and jam-packed schedules to notice the human beings in front of them."

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I will leave you with one of my favorite Brene Brown Ted Talk excerpts about Empathy vs Sympathy - a short but super important talk!
Stay Healthy Chaps!
-Kristi

P.S. Also check out this Wallstreet Journal Article that breaks down the different parenting techniques children need at different stages. Hint: Empathy, support, social skills, and healthy relationships are common across all stages! ;)

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